Nearly all business owners carry some type of insurance. However, if you are carrying a standard business liability policy, it may be worth your time to review your policy and determine if you have employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) coverage. Not all liability coverage includes this important feature.
What is EPLI?
EPLI coverage includes wrongful termination protection for employers. This allows you to file a claim to cover the cost of legal defense anytime you are sued for wrongful termination. This insurance would also pay claims if you should lose your case.
What is wrongful termination?
Wrongful termination claims may be filed by an employee who feels they were fired from their job unjustly. Some of the common reasons why an employee may claim wrongful termination include:
- Age discrimination – employees over the age of 40 may file an age discrimination claim even if they were fired for other reasons.
- Other discrimination – claims may be filed if an employee believes they were terminated because of their gender, sexual orientation or a disability.
- Whistleblower termination – California law makes it illegal to terminate an employee for reporting certain actions including workplace safety, public interest or other activities that may be considered illegal.
- Written contract violations – while California is known to have an “at will” employer/employee agreement, employees who are fired and have written contracts may still be fired under certain circumstances. This may not prevent them from filing a wrongful termination suit.
Minimizing your risk of wrongful termination claims
Keep in mind, the better you document your reasons for terminating an employee, the less likely you are to face wrongful termination claims. Some ways to avoid this include:
- Documentation of wrongdoing – anytime you reprimand an employee it should be documented in their employment file.
- Witnesses can be helpful – if you need to have a conference with an employee about their conduct on the job, it may be helpful to have another manager or supervisor sit in on the conference.
- Consider consulting an attorney – if you need to terminate an employee, it may be helpful to discuss your strategy with an employment attorney first.
Oftentimes, wrongful termination claims are simply retaliatory but having EPLI coverage can make good financial sense for those unexpected claims.
Sources:http://www.business.ca.gov/StartaBusiness/AdministeringEmployees/EqualEmploymentOpportunityLaws/AtWillEmployment.aspx
http://www.calchamber.com/california-employment-law/pages/termination.aspx
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Let’s talk about chimney fires
We’ve been discussing home improvement tips before the winter season come. We have discussed the importance of maintaining your home, cleaning out your gutter, and a general list of other to-do’s this fall. Now we are going to discuss about the importance of taking care of your chimney.
Why do I need my chimney inspected?
Creosote is what gets left behind after burning wood, and it’s highly flammable. Pine wood is notorious for leaving a lot of creosote behind. If your chimney has too much creosote (or under the right conditions) you could find yourself in the middle of a chimney fire.
How often should I get my chimney inspected?
It’s a good idea to get your chimney inspected annually. Most chimney sweeps will not only check for built up creosote, but will also check to make sure that everything is working properly. It’s not a bad idea to get your chimney cleaned out each year. It’s a good preventive measure to save you and your family.
By calling a chimney sweep and getting your wood stove, pellet stove, or fireplace inspected, you are maintaining your home and ensuring the safety of your family. Plus, you’re also meeting the maintenance requirements for your homeowner’s insurance policy.
For more information about your homeowner’s insurance policy, contact the friendly agents at Scurich Insurance Services.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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How important is cyber-security business insurance?
With every passing moment technology is advancing. That’s great for your business because it allows you to be more dynamic and more productive in your day-to-day online operations. Technology also helps you keep track, store and access vital company information. Your company’s stats and assets, as well as your employee’s and client’s personal identification information, is most likely stored on a computer somewhere.
That’s the good news. The bad news is this; with every technological advancement that the business world makes, hackers are also hard at work, and often successful, in breaking into computer networks and accessing personal and confidential information.
It pays to be prepared and stay ahead of the hackers. One thing that you can do to secure your business is to ensure that you have the most up-to-date security software and protocols on your computers and internal business network. However, this is still no guarantee that you will not get hacked.
The most common ways to get compromised, according to Verizon, are as follows: network “break-ins” or weak/stolen credentials, hacking (52%!), malware, and misuse of privileges by those who already have access to information.
Cyber-Security Liability Insurance is a crucial part of your protection plan and is a vital part to protecting yourself, your business, your clients, and your employees. Remember, it is ultimately the business’ duty to protect all of this data and to keep it secure.
There are many cyber-security insurance options and plans available today. With some plans, you can add it on to a current commercial property insurance term while other plans are available as a stand-alone.
Regardless of the size of your company, you need some form of cyber-security insurance. Whether you collect personal contact and identification information or credit and debit card payments, the threat of cyber-attack is real.
Don’t be left out in the dark. Ask about some of the better cyber-security insurance programs so that you can ha
ve peace of mind that your business, customers and employees will be protected.
Source: http://www.verizonenterprise.com/solutions/security/
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Now that you know what damage not cleaning your gutter can do to your home, we wanted to share some tips with you on cleaning that gutter out.
Keep that ladder out and clean out all the debris that has been left in the gutter. One way to do that is to use a pressure washer. Keep that debris though, it could be used for mulch.- Check all your spikes and make sure that the spikes are properly placed throughout the gutter. You may need to consider getting some new ones, if warranted.
- Use bead silicon sealing to close up any leaks your gutter may have. This sealant will be proven effective against rain, snow, and ice.
- Inspect all the rivets that need to go into your gutter also. It may be time to replace them. Any local hardware store will have the rivets and a rivet gun for you to purchase.
- Before using the pressure washer, make sure your gutter is securely fastened with all the new rivets and spikes.
- If your gutters are rusted out, you may want to consider replacing them with aluminum or vinyl gutters.
Now that your gutters are all taken care of, let’s move onto the next in our home improvement series, chimney repair.
Scurich Insurance Services can help you with all of your homeowners’ insurance needs. Give them a call today.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
Source: http://www.diynetwork.com/remodeling/tips-for-cleaning-and-repairing-gutters/index.html
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In an earlier article, we discussed tips to get your home ready for the fall season. These tips are important, so there could be no potential denial of coverage should you need to file a claim.
In this article, we want you to know what happens when you don’t clean out your gutter and the potential damage it could cause.
Leaking gutters. On the extreme side leaky gutters can also cause leaky roofs, mold, and it can rot away at the surroundings.- Leaky roofs. If your gutter is filled with debris, any rain, snow, or ice, won’t be able to go anywhere, causing a leaky (and expensive repair) roof.
- Basement leaks. Gutters usually end up at the foundation of the house. If there is any damage to the run off, then the water can wind up in your basement.
- Rotted Wood. Some houses and/or foundations are made of wood. If the gutter is not properly taken care of, the build-up will cause wood to rot.
- Cracks in foundation. Same principle as above. Any debris left can create cracks in the foundation.
This fall, don’t let your gutter get the best of you. Stay tuned for Scurich’s tips to clean out your gutter.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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The leaves are changing colors and Starbuck’s famous Pumpkin Spice Latte has made its official appearance for the fall season. Everyone is getting ready for fall, so should you.
A major stipulation of your homeowner’s insurance policy is maintenance of your home. It is not uncommon for carriers to deny payment of a claim for any damage to your home, if it has been found that your home has not received the proper maintenance. Here at Scurich Insurance Services, we don’t want to see that happen, so here is your fall checklist of home improvements.
- Grab a ladder and clean out the gutters. Yes, those fall leaves are pretty but if your gutters are clogged with them, any rain or snow could create a bigger problem in the future.
- Get your caulk gun out and start sealing up all the cracks you see around the windows and doors.
- Winterize your pipes. This is the perfect time to do it, before it gets too cold.
- Repair your drive before the winter comes. This is actually a better spring project, but if you didn’t get around to doing it before now, do it now.
- Call the chimney guy. Fall means the start of colder weather. You need to make sure your chimney is clean before lighting your first fire.
- Replace or clean your furnace filters.
For more information about your homeowner’s policy, contact Scurich Insurance Services today.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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